Newton, MA—Third-year student Kate Billman-Golemme has been awarded the Massachusetts Association of Women Lawyers (MAWL) Sheila McGovern Scholarship. The Scholarship was presented at an awards dinner on Thursday, June 10th at the UMass Club on Franklin Street, which was attended by approximately 200 people.

“Kate is a perfect choice for this recognition, because she is passionate about using her many skills and talents to benefit those less fortunate in society,” said Michael Cassidy, a BC Law professor. “She has an impressive record of volunteerism in the areas of domestic violence, homelessness, and job creation. Her energy and commitment to pro bono work is inspiring.”

Before coming to BC Law, Billman-Golemme worked full-time for over four years in public interest advocacy, first at Quincy Community Action Programs as a housing specialist working with vulnerable tenants and homeless families, and later as a victim-witness advocate in the Suffolk District Attorney’s Office. As a first-year student, she excelled at two advocacy competitions sponsored by the ABA, and was awarded a Rapport Fellowship to pursue a summer internship in law and public policy. Based on her academic performance and the results of a first-year writing competition, Billman-Golemme was selected for membership on BC’s Environmental Affairs Law Review. Next year, she will serve as co-chair of the Board of Student Advisors.

This summer she is working as a law clerk at the Fair Employment Project, a non-profit legal services organization affiliated with the Wilmer Hale Legal Services Center.

“My long-term career objectives are rooted in public interest legal work, and for this reason support from the Massachusetts Association of Women Lawyers and the McGovern Scholarship will be a huge benefit to my legal education and career goals,” Billman-Golemme said.

The Sheila McGovern Scholarship was named after the BC Lynch School of Education and BC Law graduate, a much loved and respected First Justice of Middlesex Probate and Family Court in Cambridge.

MAWL is committed to promoting activities directed toward the advancement of women in the profession of law and in society.